Constant upward-pressure contact for overhead conductors



(No Model.)

C. J. VAN DEPOELE.

CONSTANT UPWARD PRESSURE CONTACT EUR OVERHEAD CAONDUCTORS.

Patented Deo. 4,l 1888.

C/ares .I WmDepoeLe NA PETERS. Phm-Lnhograpnor. washingwn, D. C.

iTn

CHART-i 2S .'T. VAN DETOETJF., OF TJYN\ )TASSi/XCTTSETTS.

CONSTANT UPWARD-PRESSURE CONTACT FOR OVERHEAD CONDUCTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part'. of Letters Patent No. 394,037, dated December 4, 1888.

Application filed August 9, 1888. Serial No. 282,332. (No model.)

To LU about 'if 71mg concern:

Be it known that T, CHARLES J. VAN DE- at L'vnn, inthe eonntv of Essex, State ot' Massachusetts, have invented eertain new and useful Tmljirovements in Constant L'pward Pressure Contacts t'or Overhead (`o1'1duet `u's ot.' which the 'following' is a description.

My inventitm relates to improvements in eleetrie railways, more partieularl)v to that t'eature thereof which comprises the traveling' eonliectioi'i between the moving' ear anda suspended supplv-eonduetor.

The main feature oi' the invention comprises a eontiact-earrving arm ot' novel design and means tior maintainin e' au upward eontact ot' constant pressure between the contact device at the extremit)Y thereot' and the undulating under side ol" the snspendedconduetor.

The details ot" mv improvement will be hereinafter full)v set forth, in ('lonneetion with the aeeompanving' drawings, in which- Figure T is au elevation showing' a` portion ot' the top of an eleet rie-railwayv car and my improved contact-arm in operative position thereon. Fig'. L is an end viewot' the contactarni and tension-springs. Fig'. 3 is a view in elevation with the contact-arm in dilt'ereilt positions, the eontaet-arm itseltf being' shown as without the tlexible portion. Fig'. t. is an elevation showing' the relationship ot' the tiension deviees in another diiterent position. Figs. and t5 are respeetivel)v an elevation and an end view ot' a dilt'erent torni otI eonipensati n device.

As seen in the drawings, upon the top of the car A, eentrally, or in any other desired position, is mounted upon a suitable thiekness ot insulation a in etallie post, B, which is provided with an extemled base, l), between which and the metiallie rootf of the ear is interposed asuitaliilethiekness ot" insulation, C. Upon the post B is placed a rotatable and re- E is the eoldiaet-carrying arm, whieh is eon strueted oi' a number ot' light metallic rods or wires, e, united at suital'rle distances b vsta vplates l. The outer extremities oi the rods e are permanently secured to a collar, or to the shank ot a fork, G, between the prongs of wh ieh is journaled or otherwise mounted the contact-wheel or deviee ll. The lower extremities 'ot' the rods e are likewise similarly attiaehed to a bloek, T, which may be formed integral with or be subsequently attached to an elliptieal or sloping' cam, .T, or to an eccentrie whieh is pivotallv mounted between the i extremities of the fork T), with the extended movable sleeve, T3', to the upper end ot which per part in proportion to the loss of power is secured a fork, T), which latter is thus pivotallv supported upon the post l and capable of rotiarv movement thereon to any desired extent. A vertically-mijnstable collar, C', is

also secured upon the exterior of the sleeve B and provided with a projeetion, (Y2, as will appear.

portion of the cam projecting rearward and upward, the arm beine,` thus universall)v movable upon its support. l'o the proieetion C2 ot' the vertically-adjustable eollar C are attaehed the lower extri-\.mities of tension-springs K, the upper extremities of said springs being connected to a hand, M, engaging' the face ot the eam .T and lirmlv seeured at its highest point.

The tension ot'the springs TT, aetingt'hroug'h the band N, tends to elevate the extremityv ot' the eontact-carrying arm E, and therebiv to hold the eontaet:` ll against the under side ot' the supply-cominctor P. Great difficulty has heretofore been experieneed in maintaining' said eont'act with `:rood operative effeet, for the reason that as it is impracticable to suspend the conductor l) in a perfeetlyv horizontal line at the same distance above the traek in all places, the tensitm-spring' heretofore used by me was either required to be unneeessarily strong, in order to elevate the contact-wheel as much as might in some Cases be desired, or else its range ot' effective movement was too limited. B v mv present invention, however, all these objections are over- Come.

The radius of the cam J, as seen in Figs. l to t, is that of the involute of a semicircle, otherwise known as an cArchimedeai1spiral, and it inereases in diameter toward its upb v the tension -spring's in eontraeting-that is to sav, as the springs K elevate the outer end ot` the Contact-arm and become weaker their operative leverage upon said arm is increased by the increased radius of the cam J, so that the effect of said springs upon the con- ICO tact-arm and the pressure with which said contact is held up ag inst the conductor is practically uniform throughout its entire range of movement.

The radius of the cam J will not be the same under all circumstances, and where the contact-arm is made heavier, or the contactwheel varied in size, or the contact-arm made longeror shorter, cams of suitably-different radii are provided, or the cam is made adjustable or in the form of an eccentric and provided with means for adjustment to the service required.

As shown in Fig. 5, an eccentric,. may be substituted for the .cam J... The eccentricn is mounted in the fork D, and the shank d of the contact-arm is also supported upon the same pivot. The shank or lower end of the contact-arm is secured to the eccentric by an adjustable connection-as, for example, by the curved brace arm or arms, or by the bolt CZ moving in a curved slot in the eccentric and by which the arm is bolted or clamped in desired relation tothe eccentric J. The band M may be attached at different points upon the face of. the eccentric by a movable screw-bolt, or directly to the shank of the arm, as by link j.

As other means of adjustment will be obvious in view of the foregoing, the form illustrated will suffice.

Theoretically, a single tension-spring attached at one end to the extension C2 of the adjustable sleeve C and at its other to the band M would suffice g but in practice it is found that a bunch of springs-containing, for example, iveall of much lighter wire, will produce the desired effect inV a more satisfactory manner than the single heavy spring referred to, and, furthermore, be much more easily handled both for adjustment and in construction. I have therefore shown a bunch of springs, as indicated by the letter K, the lower extremities of which are hooked into a cross-plate Z, said cross-plate being bolted to the projection C2. The upper ends of the springs K are similarly secured to a cross-plate, Z', connected to the band M.

In Figs. l, 2, and 3 the arm is seen at dif ferent elevations, from which the difference in leverage in the different positions will be apparent. A stop, L,is formed or attached to the cam J, and constructed to engage the fork D, to limit the movement of the arm and prevent the tension-sp rings from throwing it over backward, in case the Contact device should become accidently detached from the conductor.

The contact-arm, as just described, is a perfectly rigid structure, and as such embodies one form of my invention. For many purposes, however, it is advantageous to construct the arm so that a part at least thereof, desirably the outer end portion, shallbe ilexible. Each component member of the arm consists, as stated, of a thin metallic rod possessing considerable elasticity, but rigidlysecured in the cross-plates F. \Vl1en all the rods are rigidly secured in the cross-plates, as seen in Fig. 3, the struct-ure as a whole is practically rigid; but in the form shown in Fig. l a central rod, c', carrying the contact I-I at its outer extremity, is added. The rod e passes loosely through the outer plate, and may also project beyond said plate for a length of one or two feet. It is rigidly secured in the next cross-plate, and may terminate there or extend the entire length of the arm and be secured in block I. This arrangement, while allowing the end portion to bend freely, will impart a very useful degree of iiexibitityto.the.contactesupporting device, which will materially lessen its tendency, if any there be, to jumpl or spring' downward from the wire when making switches or in passing any obstruction or obstacle that may be encountered.

It will be understood that the cam I, or its equivalent, constitutes a distinct feature of invention, irrespective of the construction of the arm used in connection therewith, and that the arrangement of the tension springs or devices might be materially modified without departing from the invention.

It will be understood, moreover, that various minor modifications and changes may be made in the structure herein shown andV particularly described by way of illustration, and I therefore do not limit myself to the precise details set forth.

In the foregoing I have described asloping cam or an adjustable eccentric as a means of imparting constant upward pressure to the contact-carrying arm. In using the term cam 'l intend to include both these features or anything equivalent thereto.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

l. An upward-pressure contactfor electric railways, comprising the combination, with a universallyemovable arm, of a sloping cam attached thereto, and a tension-spring connected with said cam and acting to exert a practically constant force upon said arm throughout its operative range of movement,

substantially as described.

2. An upward-pressure contact for electric railways, comprising the combination, with a movable arm carrying a contact device at its outer extremity, of a cam at its lower extremity, and a tension-spring connected with said cam and acting to exert a practically constant upward pressure upon the outer extremity of said arm throughout its operative range of movement, substantially as described.

IOO

,Y 3. An upward-pressure contact for electric Y railways, comprising the combination, with a movable arm, of a cam adjustably connected thereto, and a tension-spring connected with the cam and acting to exert a constant force upon said arm throughout its operative range of movement, substantially as described.

4. An upward-pressure Contact fr electric railways, comprising,l the combination, with a hinged arm carrying a contact at its outer extremity, of an adjustable cam connected to its lower extremity, a spring' connected to said cam for imparting; upward movement to the contactcarrying arm, and movable clamping devices for connecting' the arm and cam or eccentric in any desired relation, substantially as described.

An upward-pressure contact for electric railways, comprisin the combination, with a hinged arm carrying a contact at Aits outer end, of a cam at its lower extremity, and a ten sion-spring connected to said cam and acting` to press the outer end oi. the contact-arm upward with a constant pressure throughout its operative range ot' movement,substantially as described.

6. An upward-prcssure contact for electric railways, comprising the combination, with a hinged arm carrying' a contact at its outer end and a sloping cam at its lower extremity, of a tension-spring' connected to said cam, whereby as the tension ot' the spring' decreases with the elevation ot' the arm its leverage thereon will be increased, substantially as de scribed.

7. An upward-pressure contact for electric railways, comprising' the conlbination, with llinged arm, ot' a hinge-support for the lower end thereof, an eccentric also mounted upon said support and adjustably connected to the arm, and a tension-spring connected to the face ot' the eccentric t'or imparting' upward movement to the outer portion ot' the arm, substantially as described` An upward-pressure contact for electric railways, comprising' the combination of a hinged arm carrying a contact at its outer extremity, the cam .l at its lower' extremity, the tension-spring' K, and a ilexible connection extending' lfrom the spring and engaging' the tace of the cani, substantially as described.

9. An upward-pressure contact for electric railways, comprisin the combination of a contact-carryin arm, a sloping' cam at its lower extremity, a tension-spring' connected to the face of the cam for imparting` upward motion to the outer extremity of the arm, and a fixed support and a movable support sustained thereon, and carrying the arm, cam, and tension-spring', substantially as described.

l0. A contact-carrying' arm mounted upon a hinged support and having' a flexible end portion, to which the contact device is secured, substantially as described.

l1. A contact-arm composed of side rods secured in cross-plates and forming a rigid structure, and a flexible end rod centrally disposed and secured in one of the plates and passing' loosely through the end plate and carrying` the contact device, as described.

lf The combination ot' an arm carrying' a I contact at its outer extremity and a cam at its inner end, a tixed support, B, a tubular support rotatably mounted thereon and hinged at its upper extremity to the lower part of the contact-arm, a tension-sprin connected to and acting' upon the tace ot' the cam, and a suppol't for the tension spring adjustably mounted upon the rotatable support.

lb. An upwalfd-pressure contact for electric railways, comprising' the combination ol the hinged arm, the cam, the tension-spring,` connected to the cam for imparting upward movement to the outer portion of the arm, and a stop `for limiting' said upward movement, substantially as described.

ll. A contact-arm composed of a truss having a flexible rod secured in its end portion and carrying a contact device at its outer extremity, substantially as described.

l5. A contact-arm mounted upon a hinged support and having` a portion of its length rigid or semi-rigid, and a flexible whip-like end, to which the contact-trolley is secured, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

\Vitnesses:

FRANKLAND Jxxxus, MARTIN R. KAvs. 

